Atmospheric pollution is a concern of increasing importance as the levels of various atmospheric pollutants continue to increase. One primary pollutant of concern is ozone.
Ozone is a molecule that consists of three oxygen atoms. Naturally-occurring ozone is formed miles above the earth in the stratosphere. This ozone layer is responsible for absorbing the majority of the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation. Unfortunately, the ozone at ground level is a health risk and the major component of smog. This ground level ozone is the cause of many adverse effects, such as irritation of and damage to a subject's lungs, eyes, nose and throat. Ground level ozone is produced by the reactions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the presence of direct sunlight. The main sources of nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compound gases are mobile emissions, industrial factories, electrical plants, chemical solvents, and gasoline vapors.
Typical pollution control measures are directed toward removing nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds at emission sources. Pollution control is also performed by direct treatment of ozone at ground level utilizing vehicle heat exchangers. In these processes, ozone in the air that passes over catalyst coated surfaces, such as radiators, convert ozone molecules into oxygen molecules. These processes capitalize on the large volume of air that passes through a vehicle's radiator.
There continues to be a need in the art for methods and compositions for effectively treating ground level pollution. These methods and compositions should exhibit long term performance and efficient manufacturing operations.